Folding blade silencing mechanism



June 30, 1970 R. A. SNYDER FOLDING BLADE SILENCING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 13, 1967 \NVENTOR ROBERT A. SNYDER June so, 1970 R, A. SNYDER 3,517,920

FOLDING BLADE SILENCING MECHANISM Filed April 13, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet a INVENTOR ROBERT A. SNYDER ATTOR EYS US. Cl. 270-77 United States Patent 3,517,920 FOLDING BLADE SILENCING MECHANISM Robert A. Snyder, Gillettte, N.J., assignor to Wood Newspaper Machinery Corporation Filed Apr. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 630,749 Int. Cl. B65h 45/16; F16h 3/22 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Folding blade silencing mechanism for use with a folding cylinder of a newspaper folder utilizing means for axially moving an intermediate gear which is in continual meshing engagement with a collect tucking blade shaft into and out of meshing engagement with a tucking blade drive means. Means for locking the intermediate gear from rotation when it is disengaged from the tucking blade shaft drive means.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a folder cylinder construction and more particularly to a newspaper folder construction which may readily be converted from a straight folding operation to collect folding operation wherein an additional section of newspaper may be collected and held onto the folding cylinder prior to folding. In particular the invention relates to a means whereby one series of tucking blades on the periphery of the folding cylinder may be silenced so as to be inoperable when the folder is used in collect operation. In addition, the invention relates to a means whereby the timing of the gears operating the tucking blades may be maintained between periods of collect and straight operation of the folding cylinder.

A problem existing in conventional newspaper folding mechanisms is to provide a folding cylinder which may be readily changed from a collect operation to a straight operation and vice versa where the mechanism will be sturdy, compact and provide for positive and accurate engagement and disengagement of tucking blade shafts with drive means for rotating the shafts so that the blades may be periodically moved outwardly of the cylinder to move sections of paper into the nip between folding rolls. The cylinder itself is of relatively heavy construction in order to withstand the rigors of high speed usage such that any mechanisms for silencing operation of a particular series of tucking blades must in itself be sturdy and compact. A further problem of existing cylinders is that no means are provided to maintain accurate timing between the various gears driving the shafts on which the tucking blades are mounted when a series of tucking blades are silenced as when the folder is operated in a collect run.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide for a sturdy, compact folding blade silencing mechanism which will accurately and positively operatively engage a tucking blade shaft drive means with a tucking blade shaft. It is a further object of the invention to provide for a means to insure that the silencing mechanism may be positively locked in straight or collect positions and also to provide a locking means for assuring that the timing between the gearing driving the tucking blade shafts is maintained even when a tucking blade shaft is silenced.

Broadly my invention contemplates having in a folding cylinder which has a rotatable tucking blade shaft therein and a tucking blade shaft drive means, a mechanism for axially moving an intermediate gear adapted to engage with the tucking blade shaft drive means and tucking blade shaft to operatively connect the two together and to provide a selective operation of the tucking blade shaft. The intermediate gear is rotatably mounted on a sleeve in turn keyed to a rotatable lever shaft so that the sleeve may move axially on the shaft. The sleeve has cam surfaces on the end thereof which engage with cam surfaces on the frame on the tucking blade housing such that ro tation of the shaft will force the sleeve to move axially thereon. In addition, my invention contemplates having detent means associated with the lever shaft such that it is locked into either a straight position where the tucking blade shaft is made operable or in a collect position where the tucking blade shaft is silenced or made inoperable. Further, my invention contemplates having a pin locking means for engaging with the intermediate gear when the lever shaft is in the collect position to assure that the intermediate gear is locked from rotating with respect to the tucking blade drive means.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a newspaper folder having a folding cylinder constructed according to the invention shown in association with a cutting cylinder;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the interior of a folding cylinder of FIG. 1 taken along lines 22 of FIG. 1 illustrating the drive means for rotating a cylinder as well as for actuating the tucking blades;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of FIG. 2 illustrating the silencing mechanism in the straight operating position;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating the silencing mechanism positioned partially between the collect and straight operating positions;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating the silencing mechanism in the full collect operating position; and

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of FIG. 3"illus trating the means for locking the device in the collect and straight operating positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a folder'mechanism having a rotatable folding cylinder 1 associated with a cutting cylinder 2 and folding rolls 4 and 5. A web of paper, not shown, runs from a press and passes between the folding cylinder and cutting cylinder and is held onto the outer periphery of the folding cylinder by conventional pins, not shown, after which the web is cut into sections by the knife 6 on the rotating cutting cylinder. Live tucking blades 7 and collect tucking blades 8 are adapted to periodically move between openings on the outer periphery of the cylinder 1 to force newspaper sections into the nip between folding rolls 4 and 5 such that a section is drawn off the cylinder 1 after it has been cut from the web by the knife 6 where the rolls 4 and 5 impart the fold to the section.

Live tucking blades 7 are mounted on a live tucking blade shaft 9 which is rotatably mounted in bearings 10 and 11 in turn mounted in tucking blade housing 12. Tucking blade housing 12 is mounted on a shaft 13 in turn rotatably mounted in the folder frame 14 of the folding cylinder by bearing 15. The center line of shaft 13 mounting the tucking blade housing is eccentric with respect to the center line of the cylinder.

A gear 16 is mounted on the end of shaft 9 and meshes with an intermediate gear 17 in turn driven by a sun gear 18 mounted on the center line of the tucking blade housing. Sun gear 18 serves as a tucking blade shaft drive means and is fixed to the folder frame by bolts 19.

A folding cylinder drive gear 20 is mounted on the cylinder 1 and engages with gear 21 carried by the drive shaft 22 which in turn may connect with a press drive. Gears 20, 21 and shaft 22 serve as a drive means for the folding cylinder 1.

Shaft 13 has an external helical gear 23 mounted on the end thereof which operatively connects with an internal helical gear 24 through means of intermediate helical gears 25. Helical gears 25 may be moved axially to vary the setting of the tucking blade housing 12 with respect to the folding cylinder which in turn will vary the timing of the operation of the tucking blade 7 and 8 with respect to the rotation of the folding cylinder. The manner in which this timing is varied is described in Pat. No. 3,020,042. Gear 24 in turn meshes with gear 26 also mounted on the shaft 22 such that elements 13, 18, 23, 24, 25 and 26 act as tucking blade shaft drive means.

Collect tucking blades 8 are mounted on a shaft 30 in turn rotatably mounted in bearings 31 and 32 carried in the housing 12. Shaft 30 has a gear 33 on one end thereof engaging with an intermediate gear 34 in turn adapted to selectively engage with the sun gear 18. Gear 34 as more fully explained by reference to FIGS. 3-5 is movable in an axial direction to selectively mesh with the sun gear 18. When the folding cylinder is to operate in a collect condition, it is necessary that blades 8 and the shaft on which they are mounted be silenced in order that the blades will remain within the periphery of the cylinder at all times. This is accomplished by axially moving gear 34 so that it disengages with sun gear 18. On the other hand, when the folding cylinder is to operate in straight conditions, the gear 34 is shifted axially so as to provide a drive connection between the sun gear 1 8 and gear 33 in order that the shaft 30 will rotate in timed sequence with the rotation of the cylinder whereby blades 8 may force paper sections between the folding rolls.

The silencing mechanism 35 comprises a lever shaft 36 which is rotatably mounted in journals 37 and 38 in turn supported by the tucking blade housing frame 12. A sleeve 39 is keyed onto shaft 36 by a key 40 which prevents relative rotation between the sleeve and shaft but which allows relative axial movement between the two parts. The ends of the sleeve have thereon cam surfaces 41 and 42 adapted to engage with complementary cam surfaces 43 and 44 contained on the journals. The sleeve rotatably mounts the gear 34 thereon by means of bearing 45. As shown in FIG. 3 and 4, as shaft 36 is turned, the pressure of engagement of the cam surfaces will cause the sleeve and gear 34 to move axially such that gear 34 may be brought into and out of meshing engagement with sun gear 18.

The lever shaft 36 is preferably provided with a handle portion 46 which has therein a plunger 47 biased outwardly by a spring 48. A circular portion 49 on the side of the plunger is adapted to engage recesses 50 and 51 mounted on the exterior of a portion of the blade housing surrounding the gears 18, 34 and 33 to lock the handle and lever shaft into collect or straight operating conditions where the gear 34 will be completely in or out of working engagement with sun gear 18.

' It is important that the shaft 30 be prevented from rotating when the folding cylinder is operating under collect conditions to assure that the blades 8 will not inadvertently extend beyond the outer periphery of the cylinder. Preferably, this is assured by providing a positive locking means whereby the intermediate gear 34 may be locked against rotation when it is disengaged from the sun gear 18. As shown in FIGS. 4 and a locking pin 52 acts to engage the teeth of the intermediate gear 34 when it is shifted axially to the right as shown in the figures and disengages from the sun gear 18. Recess 53 in the intermediate gear 34 accommodates the pin 52 when the gear 34 is in the straight position whereby it meshes with the sun gear 18 such that the pin does not interfere with the teeth of the gear.

Pin 52 may be readily removed from the housing 12 in order that the tucking blades may be easily timed with each other since removal of the pin allows blade 8 to be moved with respect to blade 7 when the silencing mechanism is in the collect position and disengaged from the sun gear. An indicia mark 70 is provided on the outer periphery of the housing 12 to be lined up with the mark 71 contained on the end of the folding cylinder. Also mark '72 is contained on the end of the folding cylinder for lining up with the mark 73 contained on the folder frame. The line up of these indicias assists in setting the blades 7 and 8 to insure their being properly timed with respect to the rotation of the folding cylinder.

It is apparent that structural changes could be made to the structure shown without departing from the invention disclosed herein.

I claim:

1. A rotatable folder cylinder construction having an inner frame, a rotatable live tucking blade shaft, a rotatable collect tucking blade shaft, tucking blades mounted on said tucking blade shafts, drive means for rotating said cylinder, tucking blade shaft drive means for rotating said tucking blade shafts, an intermediate gear for operatively connecting said tucking blade shaft drive means and each said tucking blade shaft, collect tucking blade silencing means for operatively disengaging said collect tucking blade shaft from said tucking blade shaft drive means, and a tucking blade housing enclosing said tucking blade shafts mounted for rotation with respect to said cylinder; the improvement in that said collect tucking blade silencing means comprises cam means for axially moving the intermediate gear operatively connecting said tucking blade shaft drive means and said collect tucking blade shaft into and out of meshing engagement with said tucking blade shaft drive means whereby said folder may be selectively run in straight or collect operation and silencing actuator means for actuating said silencing means mounted on said silencing means and having means to lock the silencing means in both the straight and collect operation positions, said silencing means and silencing actuator means being carried internally of said cylinder and solely by said tucking blade housing for rotation therewith relative to said cylinder.

2. A rotatable folder cylinder construction according to claim 1 wherein said cam means for axially moving the intermediate gear comprises a lever shaft rotatably mounted in said housing, a sleeve keyed to said lever shaft and movable axially with respect thereto, said sleeve rotatably mounting said intermediate gear adapted to engage said collect tucking blade shaft, and cam surfaces on an axial end of said sleeve engaging complementary cam surfaces on said housing whereby the force of engagement between said cam surfaces will cause said sleeve to move axially on said lever shaft upon rotation thereof to move said intermediate gear axially.

3. A rotatable folder cylinder construction according to claim 2 wherein said improvement comprises having in addition a detent means mounted on said lever shaft whereby said shaft may be locked in straight or collect positions wherein said intermediate gear will be fully disengaged or fully engagedwith said tucking blade shaft drive means.

I 4. A rotatable folder cylinder construction according to claim 1 wherein the improvement comprises having in addition a pin locking means for engaging said intermediate gear adapted to engage said collect tucking blade shaft to prevent rotation of the same when said gear is silent and out of meshing engagement with said tucking blade shaft drive means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,038,719 6/1962 Tyma 270-77 X EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner -P. V. WILLIAMS, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

